UK: Thousands Stranded As 14 Trains Cancelled Due To Flooded Tunnels Ahead Of New Year's Eve

The tunnels near Ebbsfleet International station in Kent were flooded as the Met Office issued rain, snow, and ice warnings for wide portions of the UK.

Passengers wait on the concourse at the entrance to Eurostar in St Pancras International station, central London, after high-speed services between London and Ebbsfleet were cancelled because of flooding in a tunnel under the Thames.

Source : Getty

At least 14 Eurostar trains on Saturday were cancelled due to flooding in tunnels in southern England, stranding thousands of passengers shortly before New Year's Eve, news agency AFP reported. The tunnels near Ebbsfleet International station in Kent were flooded as the Met Office issued rain, snow, and ice warnings for wide portions of the UK. Eurostar, which operates trains from London to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam via Ashford, which is located halfway between London and the southern English coast, apologised to customers for the inconvenience.

Service update: trains have been cancelled today due to part of the track being temporarily closed near London. Please see https://t.co/KVn7RzwXm1 for full details and options We apologise for the impact to travel today.

— Eurostar (@Eurostar) December 30, 2023

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Southeastern Railway said: "No highspeed trains are expected to run today between St Pancras and Ashford International. We are working to fix the flooding in the tunnels."

In a statement, Southeastern added that "flooding between Ebbsfleet International and London St Pancras International means that all lines are blocked. Disruption is expected until the end of the day." 

⚠️UPDATE: No Highspeed trains can run between St Pancras and #EbbsfleetInternational due to flooding
We are running shuttle trains between:
🚄Ramsgate - Ashford via Dover
🚄Ramsgate - Ashford via Canterbury West
🚄Ramsgate - Faversham
🔀Where you can join connecting services pic.twitter.com/c4XIYOrBqz

— Southeastern (@Se_Railway) December 30, 2023

Both railway tunnels in Ebbsfleet have been blocked due to flooding, according to the report.

"This means no trains can run between London St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet International," Southeastern was quoted by AFP in its report. 

The interruption comes only days after French unions called off a wildcat strike that had detained tourists and slowed goods just days before Christmas.

The workers' unexpected strike, which sealed the tunnel, caused hours of pandemonium at rail terminals in Paris and London.

After reaching an agreement, Eurostar train services resumed on December 22.

Negotiations have resulted in "results that satisfy us," according to Eurotunnel unions.

The French state-owned SNCF Voyageurs owns 55.75 percent of Eurostar.

During the Covid-19 outbreak, it nearly went bankrupt but was salvaged by a 290-million-euro ($320.6 million) bailout from stockholders including the French government.